


Farewell to Sunny Days

by OberonNaga



Category: Vampire: The Masquerade
Genre: Character Death, F/M, Finale was so good i had to make a fic about it, Guilt, PC Death, Pining, Politics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:01:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27337603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OberonNaga/pseuds/OberonNaga
Summary: In the finale of the Old Grudges Chronicle, the coterie brought forth witnesses that could damn both the Prince and the Primogen member calling for the investigation into the Prince. It turns out to have damned much more than just the two of them.Following the collapse of the Sunny Days Hotel, Hercule Zephyr Defontaine, childe of the Ventrue Primogen, soon-to-be-Prince, finds a quiet moment to think about all that had transpired that day and what dark days now loom ahead.
Relationships: Brujah NPC/Ventrue PC
Kudos: 3





	Farewell to Sunny Days

**Farewell to Sunny Days**

Zeph couldn’t remember if he had ever felt this exhausted. He was sitting out on the porch of the Harpy’s mansion still trying to process what had happened earlier that night. He took long drags on his cigarette, his fifth in the last few minutes. The dichotomy between the beginning and end of the night would be comical if he hadn't lost so much.

The night had started with an Elysium. They may have been in danger for the information they uncovered about the Tremere and Nosferatu. The balcony they were allowed to sit in with the Primogen may have been little more than a gilded cage. However, the Elysium was their way of sitting back and enjoying the fruits of their labors. Then Benoit showed up, throwing out accusations of the Prince being possessed and not being trustworthy. Big words coming from the man who encouraged the creation of gargoyles. The idea was so absurd that Zeph actually laughed when the man said it. The bitterness he felt about the man being right was only slightly tempered by the knowledge that he would be trapped in the new sheriff’s body for the rest of Ms. Glass’ unlife. 

Benoit’s power play split the coterie, some working for him to keep Yeva’s mawla safe and the others working for Conrad to track down Su. They all survived their experiences, coming back to where the night had begun to prove Benoit wrong. If only Benoit had just been wrong. The ‘ghost’ was Iscariot, the fucking Baali Methusila sleeping under the city. The once good-hearted Prince Conrad Logan turned into a creature of destruction, leveling the Sunny Days Hotel and bringing it down on the heads of half the council and half of Zeph’s coterie.

Yeva. Jovial, vibrant, fiery Yeva was the first to die. Such a different person than the young girl with stars in her eyes as she watched him fight. She died selflessly, pushing Adriel out of the way during Conrad’s initial attack. Her budding attraction to Adriel bubbling to the surface for that one moment and leaving her nothing but ash on the floor. Sounded like a vampiric love story if Zeph ever heard one.

Dale. Stubborn, driven, and difficult to understand at times, Dale was the member of the coterie that Zeph was simultaneously most distant from but worked with the best. He was a fool who always dove too deeply into whatever project he was working to solve. This inclination led him to jump head first into Damascus’ pet project, the Nighthawks. This decision was simultaneously the most advantageous and disadvantageous event to happen to the coterie. They all knew what Dale was actually doing when he went off on his solo missions. This tangential source of insider information helped the coterie learn about events that brought them to this night, but it also prevented the coterie from getting close to Dale. He died fighting Iscariot’s puppet, never making it out of the building before it collapsed. Zeph wouldn’t be surprised if the stubborn fool stayed right to the end. 

Though the deaths of his coterie mates weighed heavy on him, Zeph was still concerned about the loss of so many Camarilla officers. Mustafa, Conrad’s erstwhile Seneschal and newly appointed Sheriff, didn’t make it out of the building in time. Lady Harper spoke in the planning session about giving the Banu Haqim their own Primogen position. They certainly deserved it with all their clan had done for Seattle, though Zeph lamented the loss of a veteran advisor such as Mustafa. 

Damascus and Ephraim were great losses for their clans, but Zeph doubted he would miss them. Their little secret police program was the cause for the schism in the Undercity and would have caused many more in the future. Zeph would have fought against that program for as long as it took to end it, but he couldn’t help being happy for them in a morbid sort of way. The last time he saw them, Damascus had a hand on Ephraim’s shoulder, speaking comforting words to the distressed holy man. Zeph may have hated what they were involved with, but they had a friend standing beside them to comfort them as they met Final Death. That’s all any of them could hope for in the end.

It’s why he was glad Baptiste was there when Su met her end. Su was a terrible fool who didn’t really see what she was doing as a bad thing. Part of a coterie that did nothing but betray each other and beaten down severely before Zeph found her. Benoit wanted her dead, though he was stupid enough to send mortal, disposable killers. The one thing Zeph could be thankful to Benoit for was sending Mykhail after Su. Zeph was able to tell Yeva her father was dead before the end and Su got to see Benoit die the worst death their kind could meet before Zeph took her heart. 

But now the Camarilla is reling. His sire had actually insinuated that **HE** could have been the next Ventrue Primogen. Thankfully, it had been decided that one of the older Ventrue would take the position. Once the incident at Rowan’s club resolves itself, he will have a lot to do. For now he can be there for his remaining coterie mate, for as long as Adriel stays.

Zeph wasn’t a fool. Adriel and Baptiste’s venom-coated barbs at each other hid their connection. They were reconnecting after all of the recent calamity and the conclusion was obvious. Adriel would be leaving Seattle. The thinblood was latched onto the idea of Cande like a leech to a vein and would not be dislodged. Like all the members of the coterie, he was stubborn. A stubborn, rebellious creature that never quite knew enough to be safe. He should have received a proper education, but like all of the Duskborn, he was abandoned and hunted for simply living. With Lady Harper becoming the new Prince, which was all but a certainty at this point, Zeph hoped he could chip away at his sire’s views. Maybe one day Seattle would be a safe place for people like him. For now, Zeph would enjoy the company. Soon it would be back to just him and Clay.

Clay. Such a warm, caring soul despite what he did in the past. Zeph had promised to give him a name for the child he had orphaned and burned, but Zeph was doubting if he would get to it any time soon. He knew Clay had taken the deaths of Yeva and Dale harder than he did and the warrant for the man’s arrest was weighing heavily on his already damaged mind. Despite that, the last time Zeph saw him, he was sitting with Ameina and trying to calm the poor woman down. Despite all the lives Zeph had taken in his life and unlife, hurting Clay would forever be the thing that Zeph would never forgive himself for. Clay had a small chance to be happy with Adriel. With Adriel’s exit almost a certainty, the poor man would need time to recover. Zeph would be willing to let Clay go with him if he wanted to, but Zeph has been with Clay for over a decade. Clay would always be his shadow.

Zeph pulled out one of his phones, the one he saved to only contact Mia. He felt a deep ache as he stared at it. Yeva wouldn’t be there to browbeat him for calling Mia so much and Dale wouldn’t be nodding approvingly at his choice to have multiple contacting methods anymore. He sighed as he flipped open the phone. Should he call her? She had probably heard about the collapse by now. Maybe she had already written him off. Or maybe, his brain helpfully supplied, she didn’t actually think about you in the first place. He felt his mouth twitch into a melancholy smile. I wouldn’t be the first time someone had dropped him and moved on with their lives. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he barely realized the phone was ringing.

He stared at it for a long moment before bringing the phone to his ear. “Hello?” He didn’t like how confused and quiet his voice was.

"Zeph! Jesus, I just saw what happened on the news! Are you okay?"

Zeph paused for a moment before responding. She sounded worried. "Yeah. Me and Harper made it out"

"Thank God," Her voice sounded slightly distant. After a moment, she sighed and continued. "Look, I...I know you don't like to talk over the phone. Where are you?"

"I'm at Baptiste's place. Survivors are trying to sort out what is going to happen. There is gonna be a meeting tomorrow." He paused. "But I do want to see you. Where do you want me to go?"

"I'll be 10 minutes. Thank you." After a pause, she added "Stay safe."

"I will" Zeph ended the call, checked the address Mia sent him, and sent Clay a text to be safe before heading out to meet her.

The Rack was in disarray when Zeph arrived. The street was barren, but Zeph could hear the hushed panic in the various buildings around. For the first time in years, the lights of the Red Mist were turned off. Mia was sitting at a table outside of a café, holding a plastic coffee cup with her feet up on the table. She was watching something proper up against her foot. 

Zeph walked over and sat down across from her, thumping heavily into the chair. He must have looked exhausted with dust still clinging to his suit jacket with his hair untamed. He can’t keep the smile from his face when he sees her. He leaned over a bit to see what she was looking at. "You are a sight for sore eyes."

Mia was watching a news broadcast about the Sunny Days Hotel incident. She turned to him when he sat down and gave him a smile. "And you're...well, you're a sight." Suddenly, she jumped to turn off her phone screen. "Sorry, I...you probably don't want to see that again."

He shook his head. "It's fine. I'm going to be looking at it for quite some time. Need to play my part in keeping up the Masquerade after all." He smiled a tired smile and pulled out his nearly empty pack of cigarettes. He popped one in his mouth and lit it before offering the pack to her.

She took on and lit it with a match. She took a deep drag before asking him the question he knew was coming. "So...the fuck?"

He took a deep drag on his cigarette before letting it out. He didn’t want to lie to her, but the information is crucial to the Camarilla’s survival. "I don't know how much I can tell you" He shook his head in frustration. "Let's call it an attack at a Primogen meeting and keep it at that"

"Yeah...yeah, fair enough." She doesn't seem happy about it. She stared at the burnt end of her cigarette. "Can you tell me the 'official' story, at least? The humans think it's some kind of terrorist attack." 

"I'm sorry. I can barely figure out what happened and I was right in the middle of it." He tried his best to adopt a very formal posture before reciting the story from memory. “During the initial interrogations for Benoit's trial, Benoit lost control after it became clear he had no case. In a fit of rage, he performed a massive blood ritual - in conjunction with his co-conspirator Su Jingyi - that collapsed the building. Benoit, Su, Conrad, Ephraim, Damascus, Mostafa, Yeva and Dale were all buried there.”

Her eyes widened throughout the story. When he was finished, she took a long drag on her cigarette. "Fuck...fuck. So you're telling me we have two Primogen and no Prince?"

Zeph can’t keep himself from laughing. The shear carnage to the most influential vampires in Seattle was funny in a horrifying way. Then Yeva and Dale flashed through his mind. "Also my coterie is gone, but yeah that's about the size of it." He leaned back and stared up at the storming skies, bringing the cigarette back up to his mouth to take another drag. 

There was silence for a few seconds before she grabbed his wrist gently "I'm so sorry, Zeph," Her voice sounding sympathetic. "I...I can't imagine what you must be going through."

He smiled and placed his hand over hers. "Thank you. It hurts but they both died as heroes and even if no one else remembers that, I will." He squeezed her hand. "It's going to be a fucking mess tomorrow night. I just spent the last few hours advising our new prince to be."

Her eyebrows shot up to her hairline. "That was fast."

He shrugged. "Seattle needs a prince and a council to run. The choices are Lady Harper, Lady Ragwell, or one of the newly appointed Primogen" He smiles and takes another drag. "We all know how this is going to turn out”

"Hah!" She barked in laughter and leaned back. "Yeah. You'd think for a Toreador, she'd know how to read a crowd, huh?"

He laughed as well. "Considering Emma's performance skills, reading a crowd is definitely not in her skill set. Dahlia was very hesitant about volunteering for Princedom until I asked Emma if she actually wanted the job. Emma refused quickly." He shook his head with a slight smile before he realized what he just said and paused. His sire never liked her first name getting out there.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Please don't tell anyone else that name"

"Hm? Oh. Uh, sure." She seemed a little...confused, but agreeable.

"She has a thing about it. I don't really understand it too much but it's a thing." He then remembered something. "There was one funny thing that came out of the post-collapse though."

"What's that?" She leaned back into a more relaxed posture

"She said she might make me Primogen"

Her eyes went wide and she started laughing hard, her cigarette slipping from her hand and onto the concrete.

"I know right!" He started laughing too, leaning back in his chair and letting the rain patter off his face as he laughed.

She regained her breath after a bit. "Oh fuck," She grinned ear to ear. "I...wow. I mean, no offense to you or your sire, but...wow."

"I think it was just that we were getting closer than we have in years during this whole civil war debacle. She saw reason soon into the political discussions. Certainly don't need Lady Harper accused of nepotism right off the bat" He blinked, met his usual wall about not giving away information for free, and bulldozed right through it. "I guess I haven't actually said that out loud to you, but yeah Lady Harper is my sire"

She blinked. "Oh." She was clearly holding back a smile when she regained her composure. "Well... that explains why you were at... whatever was happening."

He sighed. "Yeah she brought me in to help when she had to take the Sheriff position and it just kinda spiraled from there." He gives her a knowing smirk. "I'm waiting for the inevitable 'why the hell did she sire someone like you?' questions."

She raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

He shrugged. "I don't really know to be honest. I was a good worker drone for her business that had no one to really miss him if he suddenly left town. Maybe she knew about my nighttime activities, maybe not. I am definitely a 'black sheep' though." He couldn’t stop the smile from his lips. "I did get her to admit she was proud of me last night. That felt pretty damn good"

"Congrats, I suppose," Her smile seemed hollow.

"I'm sorry. I must look like quite the snake in the grass right now"

"No, it's not that, just..." She sighed. "Nothing." She stood up to leave. "I'm glad you're alive. I should get back to the haven - the boys are a little anxious after...you know. I'll see you at Elysium tomorrow?"

He wanted to grab her wrist but managed to stop himself. "Mia, please just tell me what is bothering you? I...I don't want the night to end with things unsaid, especially not after what just happened." He sounded so vulnerable to his own ears, it hurt.

She sighed. "Look, it's nothing with you. I just...I'm not too big on the Primogen council. Especially not after whatever the hell happened with Prague that cost us our seat."

"If you want the Brujah back on the council, now is the time to start advocating for it. Practically a whole new regime with new blood being introduced."

She fixed him with a complicated look. "I don't know the first thing about this politicking shit," She said with no real anger. "I just...fuck. Maybe I should split town. I don't want to get all...anarch, but it's exhausting, y'know?"

Zeph felt like she had just stabbed him in his chest. These feelings might have been deeper than he thought they were. "I can help you with the politics if you want. It would be a good skill to have even if you do...leave." He had to turn away, much to his chagrin. "I am sure you aren't the only one who will want to leave after this fiasco, but the end of an era, while chaotic, is the perfect opportunity to make some changes." He finally managed to look back at her. "and besides, if you ever get tired of dealing with anything you are always welcome in my territory."

She smiled again, lighting up the rainy night. "Thanks, Zeph. I...I think I'd appreciate the help. Tomorrow night, though."

He smiled in return. "Of course. I think you will find the new appointments quite surprising. Oh, so you aren't worried. I found Phoebe. She is under my protection now, free to feed as she needs."

"Phoebe?" She raised an eyebrow, then shook her head. "If she's safe, you can tell me tomorrow. Good night, Zeph."

"Good Night Mia."


End file.
